Exploring biological mechanisms in orthodontic tooth movement: Bridging the gap between basic research experiments and clinical applications - A comprehensive review.

OBJECTIVES: The molecular mechanisms behind orthodontic tooth movements (OTM) were investigated by clarifying the role of chemical messengers released by cells. METHODS: Using the Cochrane library, Google scholar, and PubMed databases, a literature search was conducted, and studies published from 1984 to 2024 were considered. RESULTS: Both bone growth and remodeling may occur when a tooth is subjected to mechanical stress. These chemicals have a significant effect on the stimulation and regulation of osteoblasts, osteoclasts, and osteocytes during alveolar bone remodeling. This regulation can take place in pathological conditions, such as periodontal diseases, or during OTM alone. This comprehensive review outlines key molecular mechanisms underlying OTM and explores various clinical assumptions associated with specific molecules and their functional domains during this process. Furthermore, clinical applications of certain molecules such as relaxin, prostaglandin E (PGE), and interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) in accelerating OTM have been reported. Our findings underscore the existing gap between OTM clinical applications and basic research investigations. CONCLUSION: A comprehensive understanding of orthodontic treatment is enriched by insights into biological systems. We reported the activation of osteoblasts, osteoclast precursor cells, osteoclasts, and osteocytes in response to mechanical stress, leading to targeted cellular and molecular interventions and facilitating rapid and regulated alveolar bone remodeling during tooth movement. Despite the shortcomings of clinical studies in accelerating OTM, this review highlights the crucial role of biological agents in this process and advocates for prioritizing high-quality human studies in future research to gain further insights from clinical trials.

Sleep quality among undergraduate medical students in Rwanda: a comparative study.

Despite the abundance of literature highlighting poor sleep quality among medical students and its detrimental impact on their mental well-being and academic performance, no study has been conducted to investigate the sleep quality of undergraduate medical students in Rwanda to date. Therefore, this study sought to determine the magnitude of sleep quality of undergraduate medical students in Rwanda and to compare the scores of seven components of sleep quality across classes. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 290 undergraduate medical students aged 18-35 years (mean = 24, SD = 2.9) randomly recruited countrywide from 1st November 2021 to 1st March 2022. The questionnaire was self-administered with 2 sections: characteristics of medical students, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The Pearson Chi-square test was used to test whether the categories of seven components of sleep quality differ between classes, then ANOVA followed by the post hoc test was used to test if the seven components and global score of Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index differ between classes. The results revealed that the global PSQI mean score was 7.73 (SD = 2.83), with fifth-year medical students reporting the highest PSQI mean score (M = 8.44, SD = 2.77), followed by first-year (M = 8.15, SD = 3.31). One-way ANOVA showed that the global PSQI score (F = 2.76, p = 0.028), subjective sleep quality (F = 3.35, p = 0.011), habitual sleep efficiency (F = 10.20, p < 0.001), and daytime dysfunction (F = 3.60, p = 0.007) were significantly different across classes. Notably, the post hoc test revealed significant scores differences in the global PSQI score between class II and V (p = 0.026), in subjective sleep quality between class I and II (p = 0.043), and between class I and IV (p = 0.016); habitual sleep efficiency between class V and all other classes (p < 0.001); and daytime dysfunction between class III and IV (p = 0.023). This paper concludes by arguing that poor sleep quality is highly prevalent among medical students in Rwanda, with final and first-year students reporting the poorest sleep quality. There were significant differences across classes in the global PSQI, subjective sleep quality, habitual sleep efficiency, and daytime dysfunction. Intervention approaches such as sleep education, behavioral changes, and relaxing techniques are recommended to address contributing factors and ultimately maximize the academic goals of Rwandan medical students.

Exploring factors associated with research involvement of undergraduate students at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda.

BACKGROUND: Early involvement of students in research processes is an important step in professional development and can increase the academic output of the university. Previous studies indicate low research involvement amongst undergraduate students, however limited research has been done in sub-Saharan Africa. This study aimed to describe the level of research involvement amongst undergraduate students at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences (CMHS) at University of Rwanda (UR) and to assess factors associated with research involvement. METHODS: This cross-sectional study covered the three CMHS campuses. A survey was shared in class WhatsApp groups from July to September 2020. Data were analyzed using Stata IC 16.0 with descriptive statistics and Fisher's exact test. P-values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: In total, 324 students participated with the mean age being 23.3 (standard deviation 2.27). Males constituted 65.1% of respondents vs. 33.3% females. The largest portion of respondents were from the School of Medicine and Pharmacy (46.6%), and Medicine was the most frequent department (33.3%). On a Likert scale from 1 to 10, 60.0% of the respondents thought that research was 10/10 important for undergraduate students, with the mean value being 8.8. Rating their interest in taking part in research during undergraduate studies, 48.2% scored it 10/10, with the mean value being 8.57. 80.3% of respondents had attended a research module, course, or workshop; however, only 48.8% had participated in a research project and 72.0% of them had been involved in data collection. Inadequate knowledge about research processes and lack of mentors were the main barriers to research participation in 48.0 and 40.2% of respondents respectively. Establishment of a UR-Undergraduate research support center (77.2%), and involving students in ongoing UR projects (69.4%) were the most frequent suggestions to improve students' research participation. CONCLUSION: Undergraduate students at the CMHS in the UR have a large research interest, yet their involvement is currently low. Limited knowledge about research processes and shortage of mentors remains potent barriers to participation. Inviting undergraduate students to partake in ongoing projects and establishing a UR undergraduate research support center are recommended to strengthen undergraduate research experience at the UR-CMHS.